Tuesday, 26 July 2011

The biggest spider in the world

It was identified in Africa and thanks to his size, immediately recognized as “king of spiders.It has a ten centimeters diameter, feeds on birds and lizards, and it’s not harmful to humans. The giant spider was discovered in South Africa by biologist Matjaz Kuntner, from the Academy of Sciences and Arts in Slovenia, along with Jonathan Coddington, from the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC.The new species was named Nephila Komaci and belongs to the family of spiders Nephilidae, “famous” for the elaborate yellowish webs they weave, but also for the impressive size of the females. The rare specimens identified by Kuntner and Coddington are considered the most “imposing” representatives of this species known until now by scientists. They also represent the first new species of Nephilim spiders identified since 1879 until now.A Nephila Komaci female measures between 10 and 12 centimeters in diameter, while the males are a bit more “fragile”, with about one quarter the size of their life “companions”. Scientists fear that this species could be close to extinction, because they are very rare and the biodiversity of their habitat (Maputaland and Madagascar) is in great danger.